Immortal Enemies

by Jessie Lane

  After the shock of that incident wore off, there was no doubting Liv’s magic. If not for her warning, that beam of wood would have done more than injure my mother, it might have killed her.

  Bringing myself back to the present, I stared at the beautiful girl in front of me as she studied the water. I always wondered what she saw there but did not ask because I had a feeling it was also part of the forbidden things of which she could not speak. That did not mean I could not appease some of my curiosity.

  Leaning closer, I murmured, “Tell me of the monsters there are.”

  Her body froze in hesitation for a moment, and then she turned her head to me and said, “Have you heard of the Draugr?”

  My head rocked back in surprise.

  Of all the things I thought she might mention, that was not one of them.

  There were monsters aplenty in our history and religion.

  The giant wolf Fenrir, who was also a son of Loki and the giantess, and a brother to Jörmungandr. It was said he would one day break the magical chains holding him captive by the gods, and then Ragnarök would be upon us.

  Or perhaps she could have mentioned the Kraken. They were monsters that lived in the sea and rose out of its depths to drown whole ships and the men upon them.

  Trolls, dwarves… even giants—but the Draugr?

  They were one of the few things I did not believe in.

  It seemed too outlandish that a being could come back from the dead.

  Skeptically squinting at her, I answered, “Of course, I have heard of the Draugr, but surely you do not believe in them?”

  Her solemn stare was my answer.

  My head tilted back as I roared in laughter.

  “Am I to understand that you do not believe in the son of Loki, but you believe in men coming back from death?” There was nothing but silence from Liv, and that made me pause. Raising my eyebrows in question, I asked, “Truly?”

  She took a furtive glance over her shoulder at the house where the old woman watched us with an eagle’s eye from the window, then looked back to me.

  Inching closer, she whispered, “Truly.”

  Puzzled, I asked, “But why? Why do they come back from the dead? Are they bitter that they were not chosen for Valhalla?”

  Liv moved her upper body even closer, and I found myself doing the same. We were sitting a few feet apart, so even though we were both leaning all the way over our laps, there was still a few scant inches between our faces.

  “It is not that they were not chosen for Valhalla, Arne. They are denied Valhalla. To become Draugr, you are made that way.”

  “By the gods?”

  She shook her head. “Helga says by other Draugr.”

  I sat back horrified. “I cannot imagine having Valhalla taken so cruelly away.”

  Shrugging, Liv sat back as well. Her fingers returned to playing in the stream, but her eyes stayed on me. “Is Valhalla that important to you?”

  Giving her a look as if she were crazy, I answered slowly. “Of course. Every warrior dreams of dying a glorious death in battle so that he can be taken by the Valkyries to sit with Odin in the golden halls of Valhalla. What could possibly be better than sitting in Odin’s presence, with fine mead and feasts? There is fighting with the other men daily in great feats of battle, only to be healed again at the end of the day. Living eternally, all of which will prepare us for Ragnarök. What man would not want that?”

  “Girl! Get inside now.” The old woman’s shout was both angry and abrupt, making both of us jump.

  I was tempted to give her a dirty look, but I was too afraid of what she could hit me with. Large fish hurt more than one might realize.

  The rustling of Liv’s dress drew my attention back to her as she stood and wiped the dead grass off the fabric. Her cheeks were stained red, as if she was embarrassed, and I wondered why.

  Standing on my own two feet, I took a step closer to her. “Is everything alright?” I lifted my right hand unthinkingly and rested it on her arm to comfort her.

  It was the first time I had ever touched her. We both stilled at the contact.

  She stared at my hand for a long moment before she finally looked at me and said, “I hope it will be, Arne, but unfortunately, some things I do not know.”

  With those ominous words, she walked off, leaving me by the stream as she made her way across the distance to the house where the old woman waited for her impatiently.

  I watched until they both disappeared inside, the old woman slamming the door shut, and my gut churning at Liv’s response.

  In that moment, I was not sure which was scarier.

  The things that Liv did know…

  Or the things that she did not.

  Five

  “What do you mean, I won’t see you for several months? Where are you going, Arne?”

  I loathed the look of devastation on her face.

  There was nothing that could be done to change my course of fate, though. I was fifteen now, and my father said it was time for me to go on my first raid. And although I hated to leave Liv, even for a moment, I was also ready for this journey. I had been training with sword, axe, and shield since shortly after I had discovered Liv living with the old woman five years ago.

  Just last week my father had taken me to the Thing. It was a meeting held regularly by the Jarl and attended by all the other prominent free men in our area, to discuss many important matters. Land disputes, divorces, or whatever other problems that needed to be brought to the Jarl’s attention.

  The Thing was also where boys who were becoming men, such as myself, would be given the opportunity to join the Jarl’s raiding party, known as the Hird, by swearing their fealty to him.

  A silver arm ring had been made specially for me, and after it had been smeared in blood from both myself and the Jarl, I had sworn my oath to him. To raid by his side, protect him, and give him wise words in counsel should he ever ask them from me.

  It was the proudest moment of my life, putting that silver ring on my arm and turning around to see the smile on my father’s face.

  I was considered a man now.

  Which meant as much as I cared for Liv, she had to understand it was time for me to be that man and go a-Viking with my father and the others.

  How else was I to start earning my way to Valhalla?

  Cupping her face in my palm, I ran my thumb over her cheekbone.

  In calm, soft words, I did my best to explain this to her. “My father took me to the Thing, and I have sworn my oath to Jarl Birger. I leave to go raid with them in England soon.”

  Anger clouded her features, and she jerked away from me. Taking a few steps away and turning her back to me to stare at the stream. I knew she wouldn’t be happy about my absence, but I did not expect this response.

  Making my way to stand beside her, I took in the clench of her jaw and the way her fists were balled at her sides. “Why are you angry?”

  An indelicate snort escaped her as she crossed her arms over her chest. Despite that small response, she stayed silent.

  My father said I was becoming a patient man, but for the first time ever, I found myself with none. Grabbing her arm that was closest to me, I turned her around so that she was facing me again. “Answer me, Liv. Why are you mad?”

  Her stare grew icy, and she spoke to me between gritted teeth. “Helga has told me what you men do when you go a-Viking. Do not stand there and act like this is all for glory and riches.” Her little fist came up and hit me in the shoulder. “She told me you, your Jarl, and the men will kill the men and children and rape the women! How is that glory? That is murder and evil.”

  I rocked back on my heels in shock.

  I thought perhaps she would be angry at me for leaving her. Never had I imagined she would be mad at me for what the Hird did when they went raiding. Irrational anger started to flood through me. What did she expect me to do? Sit around and weave cloth like a woman?

  “You have always known I intended to go rai
ding with my father. How did you think we got our treasure? By asking the villagers to give it to us nicely?”

  Her little fist punched me again, this time in the chest. “Do not use that tone of voice with me, Arne Eriksson!”

  When she went to punch me a third time, I caught her fist in my hand and held it still on the center of my chest. The movement surprised her into stillness. Looking her directly in the eye, I spoke the truth. “You cannot tell me not to go a-Viking.” She started to open her mouth, but I shook my head to stop her. “Listen to me, Liv, and hear what I say. You cannot tell me not to do what I was born to do. I was born to fight. Fated to sail the seas and find my riches. The people wherever I go will not stop and gladly hand their gold and silver to me. If a man picks up a weapon and attacks me, I will defend myself. Nothing more, nothing less. I will earn my way to Valhalla.”

  A strangled scream emerged from Liv as she pulled her fist out of my clutch and started hitting me again. I stood there and let her do so because I was not sure what else to say.

  “And the children, Arne? Will you be like the rest of those monsters and kill the innocent children?”

  Had I heard the murmurs that some of the men in the Hird killed children in the villages they raided?

  Yes.

  There had especially been whispers about Ødger after his first few raids. Murmurs that had chills running down my spine.

  Was there anything I could do to stop them?

  No.

  Did that mean I planned on slaying children myself?

  Never.

  I was more than a little hurt Liv would even think that of me. Had I not protected the secret of her existence all these years? Even when she herself was a child?

  The disappointment must have shown clearly on my face because Liv took one look at it and stopped hitting me—her hand frozen in midair.

  “Now you are mad at me?” she seethed.

  “I cannot believe you would think that I would kill children. Me, Liv.”

  She started to say something, but I cut her off.

  “Me, Liv.” This time the words were whispered with some of the anguish I was starting to feel seeping into my heart.

  Her face crumbled, tears leaking out of her eyes, and she collapsed against my chest.

  I wanted to hold her. Wrap her in my arms as I had never done.

  In the five years I had known of her, I had never once held her.

  Touched her arm? Yes.

  Held her hand while helping her off the ground from where we were sitting? Yes.

  Tucked a soft, stray strand of her hair behind her ear? Also, yes.

  But never had I given into the urge to wrap my arms around her and hold her close as I wanted to.

  Now, here she was, resting against my chest, and it would be so easy to finally do so.

  I could not bring myself to do it, though.

  How could I hold her close to me for the first time when she thought I would go out and murder children for coin and gold?

  It hurt to have her even lean against me like this when something inside me felt like it was dying.

  I tried to pull away from her. To step back and put space between us, but she grabbed the cloth of my tunic with an intensity I had never seen from her before.

  With a shuddering breath, she lifted her head off my chest and stared into my face. “I’m sorry I said that, Arne. I—” Her voice hitched, and she had to take a deep breath to calm down before she could speak again. “I know you would never purposely hurt a child like that. I’m sorry.” Her breathing hitched once more, but that didn’t stop her from using my shirt to pull me closer than we already were. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Helga told me those things… and well… in my mind I could just see them.”

  Every muscle in my body froze at her words.

  Speaking slowly so I could enunciate every word carefully, I asked. “What do you mean, see them?”

  Eyes red and puffy from crying implored with me to understand. “You know I know things, Arne. I know them because I can see them. Sometimes in my head, sometimes in a reflective surface.”

  “The stream?” I asked cautiously.

  Liv nodded.

  Silence ensued while I tried to understand everything she had said… and what she was not saying too.

  It was her magic. That secret between us, of which she never spoke, but we both knew existed.

  I chanced a quick glance at the old woman’s home to make sure she was not watching us. Over the years, she had come to trust that I would not hurt Liv and had given us a more privacy.

  Some, but not much.

  We were lucky she was not standing at her window now.

  Even though we were far enough away that I knew she could not hear us, somehow, she always seemed to know when Liv was about to say or do something she was not supposed to do.

  Always there to stop Liv before she could betray their secrets.

  This time, for the first time, the old woman was not there.

  Looking back to Liv, I knew this small moment of time was a once in a lifetime chance that I may never get again if Helga had her way. So, without wasting another second, I wrapped my arms around Liv’s shoulders and pulled her in as close as she could be. She looked at me with wide eyes as I dropped my forehead to hers. Our bodies were melded from head to toe.

  “I do not know what you see, my Liv, but I promise you that you will never see me do anything that would cause you to turn away from me.”

  She took a deep breath in through her nose and closed her eyes in relief.

  It was not long, however, before I saw those same sparkling gems fly open again as she looked at me keenly once more. “Swear to me?”

  I did not hesitate. “I swear it.”

  This time the pause between us was from her hesitation as a blush spread across her cheeks and her eyes slid away. “Even the women part, Arne?”

  My heart started beating away in my chest as hard as Thor’s hammer beat at the sky to cause lightning.

  Could it be?

  Was she… jealous?

  I had never been with another girl.

  Not between her thighs, nor any other way.

  Did she not realize that all this time I had been waiting for her?

  Shaking her lightly, I growled. “No women, Liv. The only woman I want is you. How can you see all these things, but have never seen that?”

  In a flash, her eyes returned to mine, this time with hope shining so brightly in them that I vowed never to forget this moment. It would be embedded in my memory until the day I died.

  The day Liv realized she was mine.

  By gods, it was about time!

  Turning my head to the side, I dipped down until my lips touched hers for the first time.

  Inside I was almost savage with the need to kiss her, but I reminded myself that when it came to these things, I needed to temper myself and go slow.

  So, I gave her slow kisses.

  Three of them, to be exact.

  And I would have given her many more, but as always, the old woman found the least opportune time to make her presence known.

  “Oi! Boy! Get your lips off the girl before I throw something much bigger and harder than a fish at your head!”

  Reluctantly, I pulled back, but not far.

  Both Liv and I stared at each other as if the rest of the world did not exist.

  If only she could understand that often, for me, when I was with her, it did not.

  That time would come, though.

  I just had to be patient as I had been these five years.

  One day, Liv would realize I was every bit hers as she was mine.

  For now, those three kisses would have to be enough.

  “I will see you before it gets too cold.”

  Her throat swallowed nervously, as sadness started to ebb into those bright eyes I adored so much. “Be safe, Arne Eriksson, and come back to me.”

  Nodding my agreement, I kissed her on the forehead as I
squeezed her to me tightly, then I let her go to walk away toward my home.

  It was time to go a-Viking.

  But there was nothing that could keep me from coming back to her.

  Six

  Six months.

  That’s how long it had been since I had seen the sparkle in Liv’s eyes.

  Felt the touch of her soft lips on mine.

  The feel of her petite frame against me as I held her in my arms.

  Thankfully, our time apart would be over soon. I ran through the woods on my way to the old woman’s home. My gift for Liv hidden at the bottom of the bag I had slung onto my back. It had not been easy hiding the small treasure from my father and the rest of the men on our trip home, but I had, just for her.

  It was something that could get me killed if anyone in the Hird ever found out.

  She was worth the risk.

  Pushing myself to run faster, I flew through the forest to see those eyes that had haunted my dreams while I had been away. Every night I had wondered if she could see what I was doing. If she knew that although I was where I wanted to be, I also longed for her.

  The air was cool as the seasons started their transition from the end of fall to the beginning of winter, causing the tip of my nose to get cold. It did not bother me, however. I would let the frost giant Thiazzi turn me into an ice statue if it meant I could spend time with Liv.

  Although, my cock shrank a bit at the idea of being turned to ice.

  My mother had told me once that men thought with their manhood most of the time, instead of their brain. After spending six months with a war band of mostly men, I now agreed.

  In a way, I also understood.

  The thought of Liv in my arms was often all it would take to make me hard. I had to wait until she was old enough, though.

  We had both aged a year while I was gone on my adventure.

  I was sixteen now. She was fourteen.

  And while fourteen was legally old enough for some girls to marry in my village, I did not like the idea of rushing things with her.